By: Hannah Kazemi, Staff Writer
Emét gives off soft indie-folk vibes with their single, “Sinisin,” their most recent release following their EP, Carlin’s Farm. “Sinisin” was my introduction to Emét’s funky discography, and it sent me down a rabbit hole searching for more. I reached out to Emét to learn about their inspiration for the song.
According to Emét, “Sinisin” tells the story of a “relationship doomed to fail” and “the heartbreak of accepting less than what you deserve, the heartbreak of being complacent instead of truly content.”
“Sinisin” hinges on the emotional impact of the tone and meaning of both the instrumentals and the lyrics. The different feelings and buildup of emotions is really interesting and definitely caught my attention.
“It’s a different kind of heartbreak,” they said. “Jealousy is a really strange emotion when you think about it.” You can feel this gut-wrenching sentiment settle into your soul as Emét sings.
“Growing up in Ireland, folk music has always felt like the most authentic way to tell a story,” they said. They cited Phoebe Bridgers, Leonard Cohen, and Damien Rice as inspirations. The song’s strong guitar presence and poeticism also reminded me of Hozier.
I was intrigued especially by the hypnotic guitar instrumentals in “Sinisin,” and how well it blends with Emét’s harmonies. There are some consistent melodies throughout the song, but Emét also incorporates different guitar accents and motifs to add personality to an otherwise constant and steady beat. Emét’s voice has a sense of anguish in it — it’s a lower, deeper sound that lulls and swells with the instrumentals. Because of this, there’s a bigger impact when they start to hit some of the higher harmonies.
“Sinisin” feels dark in some ways, while repeatedly coming back to that sense of melancholy with the steady rhythm.
The end of “Sinisin” introduces an epic, angsty electric guitar solo. Emét said that they recorded every part of the song themself: “The recording process was a lot more about letting the track swell, stripping it away in places and giving it enough depth to stay interesting [ . . . ] The guitar solo at the end is so ridiculous compared to where the song started out, definitely a departure from ‘folk’ in a lot of ways.”
To listen to “Sinisin” and more of Emét’s music, you can find them on all streaming platforms. They’re also on all social media as @itsemetofficial.
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